In this business, you’re either doing power rankings half asleep or losing sleep doing the power rankings. This isn’t some effort to puff out Sports Illustrated’s chest and say that our power rankings are better than other power rankings, but it is something I think a great deal about because, if you’re here, it matters to you. In the past, I’ve written about what we really mean by power, and I think it’s O.K. to have a somewhat fluid definition so long as you’re honest about it.
In society, we equate power with money and influence. So, in NFL terms, that means: If each team were a stock, with the ultimate goal of becoming the last team standing, or the team(s) that everyone wants to be like and crib ideas from, who would we invest in?
Power rankings could also be “who is good right now.” But we have a measure for that already, and it’s called the standings. So without further ado, I present the power rankings this week, which I definitely haven’t spent a disproportionate amount of my time thinking about.
